Capitol Disaster

 January 5

CNN's Website Headlines January 5, 2021

A tense day as we await the results of today's election. The Democratic contenders are superior in every way to the two corrupt incumbents but Georgia is a red state and Trump is their god. The weekend's scandalous phone call to Georgia's Secretary of State in which he was asked to falsify the presidential election outcome energized Trump's base. It's utterly breathtaking to witness the attack on democracy, especially with the support of a significant percentage of Republican members of Congress. Ted Cruz is leading a rebel group to reject states' electoral vote at the January 6 final congressional procedure to confirm Joe Biden's win. Trump is now pleading with Vice President Pence to bend the prescribed rules and reject tomorrow's verdict. This shameless, dangerous behavior while we're in the darkest days of the pandemic!

Months ago, in the fall we had to adjust our daily routines as the days grew shorter and cooler. Now, the winter solstice behind us, we're adapting to chillier mornings and sunsets a minute later each day. It's more cumbersome to dress up for my daily morning runs. After a mile I have to yank off my excellent Marmot all weather outer layer. The cool air is refreshing, and this morning the air was infused with deeper scents of pine and redwoods released by the recent rain. A red shouldered hawk fluttered above me and settled on a branch of a redwood. A soothing time and unbeatable way to start the day during a pandemic. Rest assured as Covid news develops through the day anxiety settles and grows ...

In the first January issue of The New Yorker there's an interesting piece called The Plague Year by Lawrence Wright. It's lengthy, detailing the various strands that emerged and influenced Covid's trajectory. Wright points to 3 moments when events may have turned out differently in the pandemic. The first moment was in early January when the head of China's CDC alerted Robert Redfield to the new coronavirus. Redfield assembled a team of CDC researchers to go to China and study the situation, but China refused to grant permission. The 2nd significant moment was the testing fiasco. Testing kits had to come from the CDC and because of their limited capabilities only a small number of kits were available. In February, just as the virus was seeding itself in the US hospitals received faulty test kits and were instructed to test only patients who satisfied a narrow set of criteria. The 3rd moment was the issue of masks. They should've been mandated early on, with a strong national, unified backing. It's now been a year since the genome of the SARS-COV2 virus has been sequenced. Wright's account of the politics behind the pandemic which got us to where we are is worth reading. 

January 6 I have NPR on as I scan photos from pre-digital times - a project I've been working on for the past month. Normally I listen to classical music but today I want to follow the developments as Congress meets to certify Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election. It's now 12:50 PST and I'm hearing about a terrifying scene unfolding in Washington DC. MAGA nutcases are storming the US Capitol. The joint session of Congress had to evacuate the chamber and escape to safety. Incited by Trump at a rally on the Ellipse outside the White House this morning, his faithful supporters now executing his wishes. I immediately check CNN live and hear the alarm in the voices of the announcers. 

January 7

The 25th amendment is splashed across news media. If there ever was a time to use it, this is it. But it would require action from Trump's lackeys - Mike Pence and cabinet members. It has to happen now as there are 13 days left of an unhinged president with too much power.

On CNN's Website January 7, 2021

We can now add January 6, 2021 to the list of "Most Infamous Dates in US History". The only other time rioters stormed the US Capitol was in the 1812 war against England. All afternoon yesterday news sites showed images of a mob rushing into the Capitol, breaching security, climbing walls, breaking windows, looting offices. Some armed. Gunshots fired by law enforcement. A woman killed. Three others dead, causes unknown. A few pipe bombs found. 

Today there are questions of why the mob was able to so easily break into the Capitol. Why was security so inadequate despite the threats? Trump has been encouraging violent action for weeks, so why was no preparation made for this?

Leaders from around the world expressed their horror. This beacon of democracy sinking to the level of corrupt third world governments. So many lessons to draw from this. How is it that 74 million Americans felt perfectly fine about voting for someone so corrupt, so unhinged from reality? A lunatic bleating on and on that the election was stolen from him while he makes every attempt to steal it. When he finally posted a video message yesterday during the siege he urged his supporters to go home but in the next sentence claimed he won by a landslide. He ended by telling these thugs that he loved them and that they are special. This really happened. Years from now when we recall this we'll be shaking our heads, incredulous that we lived through this ugly time in history. Twitter froze Trump's account for 12 hours. Facebook and Instagram followed suit.

January 11

When I started this blog entry 6 days ago, before the attempted coup, the nation was already in a crisis. Overwhelmed hospitals, inadequate health care professionals, soaring daily new Covid infections and daily deaths reaching 4000. States had to deal with all sorts of hurdles in their vaccination programs. Then, a day later, the very foundation of this nation was tested and Covid receded from the headlines. Democracy won on Jan 6 when Congress reconvened later and certified their states' electoral votes, but the cost we've been learning each new day since, has been mind numbing. As horrific as the Capitol insurrection was in real time, as more video footage surfaces, we're learning that the intended scale of violence was even greater. In one video there are chants of "Hang Pence!" The reason: he wouldn't budge from his constitutional obligation to read out Joe Biden's name as the winner of the 2020 election. Nancy Pelosi was a prime target too. Armed individuals intended committing atrocious acts of violence. Trump's base. Warmed up and encouraged by their master earlier that day. A cop was bludgeoned to death by a fire extinguisher. Another cop was crushed against a doorway. The "citadel of democracy" was desecrated in other appalling ways too - damage to valuable objects, theft, some even defecated in hallways and offices. Now may we call them "deplorables"? Will someone please apologize to Hillary?

Twitter and other social media platforms have permanently muzzled Trump and it is truly wonderful not to hear any new appalling crap from him.

The past 5 days have been consumed by discussion of how to remove Trump from office immediately. An unhinged, deranged person holding the highest office with the power to start a nuclear war is frighteningNancy Pelosi has taken charge. Mike Pence and other Republican leaders are still too focused on their own political aspirations so there's no hope that the 25th amendment will be invoked. Republican leaders have shown us long ago that they have no intention of preserving the democratic ideals of this country. Power to execute their desires is all that matters. Republicans in congress could do a lot to unify the country by working with the Democrats to do the right thing and impeach Trump, but only a few are cooperating. It's shocking, sad, frustrating. House Democrats have drafted articles of impeachment and are planning a vote on Wednesday. They expect it to pass. It will then be up to the Senate to act, but a two thirds majority is needed for conviction. Don't hold your breath!

Nine more days before adults lead the country again.

Meanwhile the Covid crisis in California continues. It's distressing to be in the global epicenter of the pandemic. South of us - the greater Los Angeles area- hospitals and medical staff are overburdened. The state's daily new case numbers have plateaued at over 30,000. Ouch! Each day I keep hoping to hear more promising vaccine news. Centers are being prepared for efficient deployment so I'm definitely hopeful. I hope my entries in a few weeks will carry a more upbeat tone.